1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a molding for a front glass which closes a gap between a peripheral portion of a window glass of a vehicle, particularly an automobile, and a window frame of the vehicle body.
2. Related Art
In general, as shown in FIG. 14, in a molding 80 which closes a gap between a peripheral portion of a front glass 12 and the window frame 14 of the vehicle body, there is formed a rain gutter G (see FIG. 15) so that rainwater wiped away by a wiper 82 does not flow along the sides of the vehicle.
As shown in FIG. 15, a lip 84 forming the rain gutter G gradually becomes smaller from the lower portion to the upper portion of a front pillar portion 30 so as to improve the aerodynamic characteristics when the vehicle travels. Further, at a roof portion 32, the molding structure has no lip 84.
Conventionally, methods described below have been used in practice methods to mount the molding 80, which has configurational characteristics such as those described above, between the peripheral portion of the front glass 12 and the window frame 14 of the body.
In the first method, the molding 80 is divided into three parts 80A, 80B and 80C, corresponding respectively to a portion of the molding 80 which is disposed at the front pillar portion 30, a portion disposed at the corner portion between the front pillar portion 30 and the roof portion and a portion disposed at the roof portion 32. The three parts, 80A, 80B and 80C are molded separately in the factory and are fitted to each other.
In the above method, however, the amount of labor required for assembly increases in accordance with the increase in the number of parts. Further, since there are seams, the appearance is not attractive.
In the second method, which attempts to compensate for this drawback, as shown in FIG. 16, a molding 80 having a uniform cross-section is extrusion-molded, and an unnecessary portion (the region shown by the broken line) is cut in accordance with a region to which the molding 80 is to be mounted.
However, since two processes, extrusion-molding and cutting, are necessary, the production cost of the molding 80 is increased. Further, if cutting is carried out by using a cutter, it becomes difficult to form an R portion in the cutting surface, and the appearance is poor as the luster is different.
Therefore, to solve the drawbacks of the first and second methods, there has been developed a method in which a molding having different cross-sections at different parts thereof is produced so as to be continuous by enlarging and reducing the die hole of a molding die of an extrusion-molding apparatus (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-143730).
However, since the entire molding produced by this method is formed of the same material, changes in pressure may occur, at portions where the cross-sections vary, due to the variations in the cross-sections, and the entire cross-sectional configuration of the molding may deform. Further, if the lip which protrudes from the upper surface of the molding and forms the rain gutter is hard, a drawback results with respect to safety in that an R portion having more than a certain curvature is not provided at the tip end portion of the lip. Therefore, high accuracy is required for molding.
Further, in the conventional molding, no consideration has been given to prevent the occurrence of abnormal sounds at the surface of the molding which contacts the front glass, nor to increasing the adhesion of the molding to the front glass.
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 17, in an insertion section L1 of the molding 80 which is inserted into the lower portion of the front pillar section, the lip 84 forming the rain gutter is cut by a cutter after extrusion-molding. However, since it is difficult to form an R portion in the cutting surface and because the luster is different, the appearance in the vicinity of the lower portion of the front pillar deteriorates.